The Brainerd Rotary Club is utilizing goats to try to control the invasive European buckthorn that grows throughout the Rotary Riverside Park in Brainerd.

In an effort to maintain the park, the Crow Wing Soil & Water Conservation District partnered with the Brainerd Parks Department to use the goats to graze certain areas that will allow for other plant species. Reducing the buckthorn will help provide a better habitat for wildlife, and help bring the park back to its natural state.

The goats were contracted through Minnesota Native Landscapes to reduce the amount herbicide used to control the buckthorn.

By — Chantelle Calhoun